MILLIONS of voters who back the UK Independence Party at this month’s Euro election will vote the same way in next year’s General Election, an opinion poll revealed last night.

NO STOPPING FARAGE: This man has captured his voters for more than one election[GETTY]

Research by the British Election Study found that at least half of the voters set to support the anti-Brussels party on May 22 plan to stick with their choice in 2015.

The study suggests voters will break away from the past trend of deserting Nigel Farage’s party in elections for Westminster.

It comes after separate figures showed that Ukip’s membership has surged over 37,000 for the first time.

It means the party is on course to be bigger than the Lib Dems, who currently have 44,000 members, by the General Election.

Communications director Patrick O’Flynn said: “People from right across Britain are still responding to Nigel Farage’s invitation to come and join his People’s Army.”

The British Election Study (BES), an academic unit that has analysed every poll since 1963, said the 11 per cent of people intending to vote Ukip in the General Election is only six per cent below the Euro figure of 17 per cent.

The difference was much bigger in 2009 when the last Euro elections took place.

Back then, Ukip had a 16.5 per cent vote share in the Euro election but only 3.1 per cent in the General Election.

The figures – based on an online sample of 20,000 surveyed in February and March – were released exactly a year before voters go to the polls in 2015.

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MAN OF THE PEOPLE: Farage out on his pre-election tour, always smiling [GETTY]

Professor Jane Green, of the University of Manchester and a co-director of the BES, said: “More than half of people, 57.6 per cent, intending to vote for Ukip in the May 2014 European Parliament election also intend to vote for Ukip in the 2015 General Election, whereas the proportion was half that at 25.5 per cent in 2009.

"These findings could have major implications on the UK’s political landscape in 2015 if they’re borne out in polling.”

Of those intending to vote Ukip in 2015, 44 per cent voted Conservative in 2010, 17 per cent Lib Dem, 11 per cent Labour and 11 per cent did not vote. Nine per cent voted Ukip.

The poll also found that in an EU referendum, 41 per cent would vote to leave while 40 per cent would vote to stay.

The battleground would be for the 15 per cent who are undecided, the BES said.

Meanwhile Ukip announced that Roger Helmer, a Euro-MP for the East Midlands, will be the party’s candidate for Westminster’s Newark by-election on June 5.

The 70-year-old businessman defected from the Tories two years ago.

The poll has been sparked by the resignation of former Tory MP Patrick Mercer following a cash-for-questions scandal.

Mr Helmer will be up against Conservative candidate Robert Jenrick and Michael Payne for Labour.